Basic Vocabulary

• Make a set of concentration cards for each unit you teach your students so they can practice the vocabulary for that unit. For example, if you are teaching a unit on travel, make a set of cards featuring pictures of various modes of transportation on them. You can cut photos from magazines or use clip art. For each card, prepare a matching card with the word for that mode of transportation written on it. Be sure to use thick cards so students can't see through them once they are placed face-down on a table.
  
  

Irregular Past Tense Verbs

• Irregular past tense verbs can be frustrating for ESL students. Since these words do not follow a reliable pattern, they must be memorized. Make a set of concentration cards featuring pairs of these verbs. Put the present tense of the verb on one card and the past tense on another.
  
  

Prepositions

• Even advanced ESL students and some native speakers of English experience difficulty with these words from time to time. Prepare a set of concentration cards by writing the prepositions you want to teach on the cards. Make a corresponding card for each preposition that visually indicates the meaning of the word. For example, the word "on" could show a book sitting on a desk, with an arrow pointing to the book.
  
  

Occupations

• Help students sort out the vocabulary for occupations. Prepare a set of cards that have a workplace written on each card, such as "hospital," "fire station," "school" and "restaurant." Make corresponding cards with an occupation that matches each location, such as "nurse," "firefighter," "teacher" and "cook." Make the game of concentration even more challenging by making two occupation cards for each location and asking students to find three cards at a time. For example, the "hospital" card could have both "nurse" and "doctor" cards to match.